Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Daily Mail 7 October 1957
THE YARD MAN IS NEW BBC 'PRIVATE EYE'
by Daily Mail reporter
A senior Scotland Yard detective is giving up the murder beat to work in secret for the BBC.
He is Detective-Superintendent Ronald Vivian, who will operate as a special investigator for the TV programme This Is Your Life.
The fortnightly programme lays bare the lives of celebrities – and the essence of its preparation is secrecy. The "victim" must never know he is "under investigation."
This week Superintendent Vivian, who at the time of the Coronation worked with Superintendent Hannam on the double towpath murder, goes to the Yard from his Hammersmith H.Q. to hand in the 3ft dossier on the Polish countess murder.
Countess Lubienska was stabbed to death on the dimly lit platform of Gloucester Road Tube Station in May.
Nicer People
Although more than 30,000 men and women have been interviewed, a team of detectives led by Superintendent Vivian have been unable to catch her killer. In three weeks Superintendent Vivian, 27 years in the force, will begin his hunting for the BBC.
"But," he said yesterday, "I won't be looking for crooks. This time they'll be much nicer people, but they may prove just as difficult to find."
Relaxing at home in Rupert Road, Chiswick, with his wife and family – he has five children – he told me: "Oddly enough I never wanted to be a policeman, but it seems I can't get it out of my system. In 1930, when I was a young man, jobs were hard to get so I joined the force."
His task
"The BBC post sounds an interesting one. It will probably take me to all parts of the country trying to trace people who once played a prominent part in someone's life."
"In many cases addresses will have been lost and even surnames forgotten. My task will be to find them."
"You could say I'll have to produce the living exhibits of a person's lifetime."
Richmond Herald 18 October 1957
BBC post for former Richmond C.I.D. chief
Former detective inspector at Richmond and now detective superintendent of 'F' Division which covers Hammersmith and Kensington area, Detective Superintendent Ronald Vivian is to join the BBC as a special investigator when he retires from the Metropolitan Police.
He is to work on the television programme, This Is Your Life.
He came to the Richmond and Barnes area in succession to Detective-Inspector James Davies and was here at the time of the Towpath Murders. Soon afterwards he was transferred to Putney to become acting superintendent of 'V' Division C.I.D. From there he was promoted to be superintendent of 'F' Division.
Mr Vivian, who lives in Bedford Park, has five children.
"This Is Your Life will be a new life for me," says Mr Vivian. "It sounds an interesting post and it will probably take me to various parts of the country to trace people who once played a prominent part in someone's life."
"Sometimes the address will have been lost and even surnames forgotten. It will be my task to find them."